New Technologies

Researchers are testing two different new vaccines. The first clinical trial on Ebola vaccine uses DNA and is about halfway complete and will soon be starting the final phase of the trial. The two new vaccines are being tested because they may be more useful in an outbreak situation. Right now the DNA vaccine, which contains three genes of the Ebola virus, that is being tested has to be given mutliple times over several months in order to provide pretection against Ebola. That is why researchers are looking for other strategies to develop a vaccine that could be used if there was an outbreak.The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) is conducting a clinical trial that assesses the safety and immune response of different doses of a DNA vaccine. Gary Nabel is the NIAID researcher that is leading this trial and he predicts that the DNA vaccine that is currently being tested in humans proves safe and could be made available in a few years. This vaccine would be a long term preventative vaccine for health care workers, military personnel and primary responders to possible bioterrorism attacks.


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Ebola Virus



Prevention*Limit contact with infected person



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*Wear protective clothing such as: Masks, Gloves, Gowns, and Goggles
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*Completely sterilize equiptment




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*Isolate the infected person from any unprotected persons






Resources:

CenterforDiseaseControl. (2009). Ebola hemorrhagic fever information packet. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/Fact_Sheets/Ebola_Fact_Booklet.pdf

LastNancy Touchette, NT. (2004, March 19). New approaches speed ebola vaccine development. Retrieved from http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/03/19/ebola.php